Solar storms and power troubles

This post is speculative but worth considering. The physics is interesting a least. Some research in North America on insurance claims for damage to power systems suggests that geomagnetic storms of solar origin which impact the magnetic field surrounding the earth (magnetosphere) are responsible for some disruptions of the electrical power grid.

"In the early hours of the morning of 13 March, 1989, a powerful geomagnetic storm from the Sun hit the Earth, immediately inducing currents in long conductors on the Earth’s surface, such as power and railway lines. "

"... much of this equipment is connected to the low voltage power distribution network. “The claims statistics thus reveal that large-scale geomagnetic variability couples into the low-voltage power distribution network,” they say. That has never been revealed before."

Are we in Guyana vulnerable? We are near the equator which is good but our power lines are above ground.

Issues to consider:
- what are solar storms?
- what is the magnetosphere?
- how do the storms affect the grid?
- what can be done to protect us?

Note also we had a near miss recently according to this report:

"Two years ago, Earth experienced a close shave just as perilous, but most newspapers didn't mention it. The "impactor" was an extreme solar storm, the most powerful in as much as 150+ years."